Adventures of John: Inner Demons
by John The Adventurer
Summary: All I wanted was some time away from universal catastrophes. I just wanted to be able to spend time with my pregnant wife Elsa and enjoy my life. Was that too much to ask? Unfortunately, the universe had other plans. An old enemy returned, and I was forced into one of the strangest adventures of my life.
1. Introduction

Adventures of John: Inner Demons

Introduction

My name is John the Adventurer. Not really. But in order to protect my identity, I usually refer to myself as such. Our world, our reality, is not the only one there is. There are an infinite number of planes of existence beyond our own, realms of myth and magic filled with all manner of beasts and creatures. There are those among us, ordinary people in all other aspects, that have a connection to one or more of these worlds. Their connection to these worlds can often give them abilities beyond those of other men, or even provide passage to these worlds. Many of these gifted individuals are unaware of their abilities.

I am one of these people, except I am aware of my gifts, and I am not merely connected to one realm, but to all of them. Because of this, I can see and speak with creatures from these realms, as well as separate my spirit from my body and use it to travel to these realms. When I am in these other worlds I can use the magic inherit in these worlds to do anything I can dream of. These are the tales of my journeys through the magical realms. These are the Adventures of John. Why am I posting my tales on a fan fiction site, you ask? Well, you wouldn't believe the people I've met.

. . . . .

My life has never been simple. I've been the champion of one of the major Faerie Courts, traveled the magical realms, and even made my way to several alternate realities. I'm friends with the Mad Hatter, an occasional ally of the Wicked Witch of the West(who isn't nearly as wicked as everyone says she is), though she doesn't like me very much, and trapped Peter Pan in Neverland forever. (Don't trust that kid, he's an immortal psychopath who kidnapped children for use in his twisted games.) I'm also an honorary member of both the Justice League and Avengers, a former companion of the Doctor, and married to Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Nicholas St. North(Santa Claus) performed the service and Jack Frost was my best man.

I've saved this world many times, along with many others. I've faced mortal villains, such as the murderous King Hans, who killed all but one of his older brothers in order to gain the throne. I've also faced immortal enemies, such as my old nemesis the Shadow Trickster, as well ones more familiar to you such as the Greek god of war Ares and the Norse god of thunder Thor. While the version from the Marvel Universe is a pretty cool guy, our universe's version of Thor is a homicidal, narcissistic jerk. I've faced beings beyond mortal comprehension, including the Darkness, a celestial being corrupted by the Void that nearly consumed our entire world, Shade, a being of pure negative energy that turned out to actually be the combined essences of a pantheon of ancient gods called the Old Ones, forced together by the madness of the Void.

And most recently I saved not just the world, not just the universe, not just multiple universes, but **every** universe. The Void was hatching its eons-old plan, readying itself to destroy everything in all of creation until all that remained was the Void. After an unbelievable amount of conflict, it all came to a head in one final battle, a battle in which the greatest heroes from every universe came together to fight the Void, from Goku to Luke Skywalker to Yugi Muto. With the aid of the other versions of myself from across the multiverse, I was able to purify the Void, returning it to its original state of mindless nothing. Interestingly enough, while the Void corrupted the Darkness and Shade, it was itself corrupted by the meddling of those that sought to use it to gain more power. We thought that it was the Void that corrupts, but it was humanity that bore the blame for the corruption in the end. What does that say about us as a species?

With the Void defeated, I thought all my trials were over. Then, just as we were about to leave my wife announced to me that she was pregnant. After a brief panic attack and a visit to a younger version of Elsa, I went back to my normal life. I had hoped that I would have some time to spend living the closest thing my life comes to normal, spending my time on earth doing regular things, while enjoying time with my pregnant wife and her family in Arendelle. Unfortunately, once again the reprieve was not to last.


	2. Chapter 1: Preparing for Fatherhood

Adventures of John: Inner Demons

Chapter 1: Preparing for Fatherhood

The first thing that had to be done was tell the other members of our little Disney family about the baby. Elsa had gone to Pabbie for the spell to conceal her slowly growing lump and had made him promise to keep it a secret. Luckily the other trolls hadn't been present, or it wouldn't have stayed secret long. Apparently Elsa had been pregnant for nearly sixteen weeks before I found out about it. How she had kept it a secret that long, even with the enchantment, I have no idea.

"Really?" Anna said in a hushed voice as Elsa told her the news. Suddenly she jumped up and squealed, hugging us both tightly. "That is wonderful!" she exclaimed. "This is perfect! I was beginning to wonder if you two were having…" she lowered her voice, "…difficulties."

"Wow there!" I exclaimed. "Keep it G rated please."

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"Nevermind," I muttered. "Come on, let's tell the others."

"Congratulations!" Kristoff laughed when we found him in the stables and told him. Sven panted and wagged his tail happily. "I always wanted to be an uncle," Kristoff told me, patting me firmly on the back and nearly knocking my lungs out. "I suppose I'm sort of an uncle to Dawn and the Twins, but now I'm going to an actual uncle."

"I doubt you'll be able to out-uncle me," I told him with a chuckle.

"Well that's just not fair," he protested. "I'm not friends with dwarven craftsmen and have magical powers."

"Still won't be able to out-uncle me," I repeated.

"We'll see about that."

Rapunzel and Eugene were a bit more difficult to get to, as they were in Corona at the time. Elsa hasn't been comfortable with sailing ever since her parents died, plus I wouldn't be able to stay long enough for a voyage, so instead we teleported directly to them. This could have been problematic, but luckily there was nothing going on at the time that we should not have witnessed. We got them alone and then told them the news.

"This is perfect!" Rapunzel shrieked, wrapping us in a hug much like the one Anna had given us. "When do you think it is due?"

"Not for a while yet," I answered.

"I'm so happy for you two!" she exclaimed, hugging us again.

"Congratulations," Eugene told me as soon as Rapunzel let go, offering his hand. "I think you will make wonderful parents."

I took his hand and shook it. "Thank you." Things continued, and I quickly learned that pregnancy is hard not just on the expecting mother, but on her husband as well.

. . . . .

"No," I answered. "You aren't going to get it. If you want it, you are going to have to take it from my cold dead hands."

"That can be arranged," she replied coldly.

"Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you really think you can defeat John the Adventurer?"

"Oh come on!" Elsa exclaimed, shooting a blast of icy energy which I easily deflected. "I'm pregnant!"

"I don't know much about pregnancy," I admitted, "but I don't think the cravings are supposed to start this early on in the pregnancy. I'm fairly certain you are just using this as an excuse to eat more chocolate."

"Am not," she huffed.

"You've already eaten several pounds of chocolate today alone," I told her. "That cannot be healthy."

"I stuffed my face with chocolate throughout both of my pregnancies," Anna replied from behind her, chewing on a piece that very moment. "Nothing bad happened to me."

"See?" Elsa exclaimed triumphantly. "Nothing wrong at all!"

"Fine," I sighed, holding out the chocolate bar. She reached for it, but I grabbed her outstretched hand, pulling her close. "But you're going to have to share," I whispered in her ear.

"Fine," she whispered, placing a piece between her teeth. We kissed, both of us taking a bite of the delicious creamy chocolate. "How's that?" she asked playfully.

"Intoxicating," I answered, smiling. "And what about this, Princess?" I asked, leaning in for another kiss.

"Ahum!" Anna coughed. "Still here you know."

"Sorry," Elsa muttered, blushing as she pulled away. "Avan and the twins are having their first dueling lesson today," she told me. "Do you want to come?"

"Of course," I answered. We arrived to find Rapunzel, Eugene, and Kristoff already there waiting for us. Rapunzel gave all of us hugs, telling us how glad she was to see us again, while Eugene gave me an awkward handshake and Kristoff gave me a massive bear hug.

"I still can't believe it," Kristoff laughed. "You, a father. I guess even wandering adventures need to settle down some time, right?"

"Right," I laughed. "Hopefully the multiverse agrees with you there. I really don't want to have to save all of creation **again**." We watched the lesson, which turned out to be fairly humorous. The three four year olds knew nothing about fighting, and spent the majority of the lesson bumbling into each other. Supposedly the young princes would be experts by the time they came of age, but for now they failed adorably. Of course, trying to keep my wife from eating so much chocolate she died wasn't the only issue. There were also those who believed that the pregnancy meant that Elsa wasn't capable of doing her duties.

. . . . .

"We have a matter we would like to discuss with you," Lord Chandlan, a bland-looking man with sleeked-back brown hair, dull brown eyes, and a thin build with a beer belly, who also happened the Master of the Treasury, told Elsa as we walked into the council chamber for the most recent meeting. "We are all very happy for you two and the soon-to-be heir of the throne. Unfortunately, this raises a few questions."

"What sort of questions?" Elsa asked hesitantly.

"Questions about the kingdom," Admiral Avan answered. "You have ruled well so far, but we worry about how well you will be able to perform your duties during your pregnancy."

"And who would you have rule in her place?" I laughed. "Because it's certainly not going to be one of you."

"Actually," General Coulter began, "We were thinking it should be you."

"Me?" If I had been drinking something at the time, I am entirely certain I would have choked on it.

"Yes you," he answered. "As the King Consort, you are currently next in line for the throne anyways, after Princess Anna. Also, your heroic deeds are widely known throughout the kingdom. If you took the Queen's place ruling the kingdom, having someone like you running things would send a message of strength to all the other kingdoms. Once the new heir is born the Queen can give it to a nursemaid and return to her duties."

"There are several things wrong with that plan," I told him. "For one thing, I **cannot** be here all the time. I have a whole other life. Also, I know nothing about ruling a kingdom. I have a better idea. My wife will keep ruling the kingdom, fulfilling all of her duties. I will be here as often as I can, offering strength and support when needed. If the pregnancy ever gets in the way of any of Elsa's duties, then Anna can fill in for those specific duties." I turned to Elsa. "How does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect," she answered. She turned and looked at the councilmembers, her eyes daring them to disagree. None of them did. While that wasn't the last time they tried to talk her out of ruling while she was pregnant, those talks were few and far between, and always met with the same response. There were other, less serious issues as well, things that I personally found a tad bit annoying, especially all of the endless baby-related debates.

. . . . .

"What do you think we should name it?" Elsa asked me one day as she lounged on one of our more comfortable couches.

"I was thinking something exotic and strange," I answered, "but then I remembered that names that would be exotic and strange in my world are commonplace here."

"Very funny," she laughed. "But seriously, what do you want to name him or her?"

"Maybe something like Arthur or Merlin if it is a boy," I answered. "Maybe Guinevere or Morgana if it is a girl."

"Really?" she asked, chuckling. "The legend of King Arthur?"

"You have that in this world too?"

"Of course," she replied. "I think that any world that didn't have such a legend would be a very gloomy place."

"I have to agree," I responded. "What do you think we should name them?"

"I was thinking we could name him or her after my parents," she answered uncertainly. "Agdar if it is a boy, after my father, or Idun if it is a girl, after my mother."

"Those are certainly exotic-sounding names…" I contemplated. "I like them, and I understand why you want them, but let's not make any permanent decisions yet. We've still got a while yet before our baby is born. Who knows, maybe an amazing name will come along that eclipses all others." Of course, it wasn't all just trivial things like possible name options that occupied our minds. There were also much more important questions.

. . . . .

One night while Elsa and I were snuggling in bed, a thought suddenly came to me. "Elsa," I whispered, nudging her, "are you still awake?"

"Yes," she replied sleepily, turning towards me. "What is it?"

"The baby," I began, "there's a massive problem that we haven't talked about yet."

"What?" she inquired, my tone of voice worrying her.

"Us," I answered. "You are one of the most powerful human magic users in your world, possibly **the** most powerful. You **accidently** frozen your kingdom and all of the neighboring kingdoms as well."

"Is this going somewhere?" she asked irritably.

"And then there's me. I can do things I've never seen another person do that wasn't an impossibly powerful immortal of some kind. What does that mean for any kids we might have? For **this** kid? How powerful will they be? Every would-be villain and multi-dimensional conqueror is going to want to get their hands on our child so that they can twist them to their nefarious ends."

"Did you forget the first half of your statement?" she laughed softly. "We are the most powerful magic users out there." Her expression went deathly cold for a moment. "If anyone or anything wants to take our child, we **will not** let them." Her faced relaxed, regaining its former calm expression. "As long as we are together, nothing will be able to get anywhere close to our child."

The first three weeks of this passed, and I was loving every moment of it. Unfortunately, even though it was fun and beautiful and wonderful, it didn't make my blood flow faster or my heartbeat drum in my ears. I had recently finished writing down the tale of my adventures in the Void and was beginning work on the next part of my War of the Gods series, but that wasn't enough either. I needed excitement and adventure. In other words, I was going stir crazy. While I honestly didn't want another potential apocalypse on my hands, I also needed something to keep me busy, some kind of dangerous quest. And so, I did the most incredibly stupid thing imaginable. When it came time to return to my own universe I did, but not to my ordinary earthly life. Instead I took time off from normal and returned to the magical realms, where my old nemesis waited for me.

Author's Note: Sorry for not writing in the past few days. I've been on quite an adventure, and it took quite a bit longer than my adventures usually do, by our world's standards, anyways. Now, I've had to correct people about this in the past, so just to be clear; I don't write my stories as they are happening. I don't know why people think I do. I can't exactly bring my laptop with me into battle, now can I? I usually start writing the stories a day or two after the event. In the case of my Void trilogy, the last few chapters of the Society and the entirety of both Into the Void and Heart of the Void all happened together in the same time period. That means all the time I was writing those stories, I was also spending large amounts of my time in Arendelle with my pregnant wife. Just wanted to clear that up, thank you for your time.

Also, if you are confused or want to ask any questions about anything related to my stories or the events they describe, please write them down in a review for this story and I will try to answer them all in the author's note of the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 2: The Trickster Returns

Adventures of John: Inner Demons

Chapter 2: The Trickster Returns

A trio of young Halflings strode through the forest, leaning heavily on their walking sticks. Their hairy-soled feet padded lightly on the rough ground, their large bellies bouncing up and down as they walked. "How much further?" the fattest one complained. "We're going to be late for supper!"

"You're the one that wanted to go and find that rare pipe weed," the shortest one retorted.

"How was I supposed to know it would be so far away?" the fattest one shot back. "At least we got it, didn't we?"

"Both of you, please shut up," the third Halfling, a rather average-looking one with curly hair, ordered. "We need to-" Suddenly a black bolt shot out of the darkness of the woods, impaling he poor Halfling's throat. A dozen black-skinned goblins followed it, sneering and jeering as they circled the remaining Halflings.

"Hello, little morsels," the lead goblin jeered, sticking his jagged blade right in front of the fat Halfling's face. "Any valuables on you?"

"Y-you won't get away with this!" the short one stammered. "Th-the Adventurer will find you!"

"The Adventurer?" the goblin laughed. "The Adventurer hasn't been seen in **any** of the magical realms for quite some time now. He's not going to come and save you."

"I heard he died!" one of the lesser goblins chimed in. "Got consumed by the Void he did!"

"I heard he's languishing in an eternal prison in the Realm of Darkness," another declared, "being tortured by shadow demons!"

"Well, actually he settled down and decided to spend more time with his wife and unborn child," a voice commented from behind them. "But he was getting a bit bored, spending all his time in that castle, so he decided to come back for a bit." The goblins turned around to see a man in golden armor and a crimson hooded cloak standing proudly. "Which is a very bad thing for you." There was a flash of light and flame, and suddenly the goblins were gone, only piles of ash remaining.

The Adventurer went to the side of the fallen Halfling, snapping the arrow that was lodged in his throat and pulling it out. He placed his hand on the Halfling's neck, golden energy pouring into the wound, knitting the skin together and expunging the poison from his system. "Be more careful where you travel, little ones," he told them, standing back up. "He'll be alright, but you'll have to carry him the rest of the way. I would stay and help, but this place has gotten insane without me, and I've got a lot of work to do." With that there was a flash of light and he vanished, leaving the Halflings alone in the woods.

. . . . .

Those Halflings weren't the only ones I had to save. Time flowed differently in the magical realms, and unlike alternate realities, that had nothing to do with any problems in the Void. It was just how they were, and thus my purifying of the Void hadn't changed anything there. So those weeks that I spent alternating between Arendelle and earth had been years in the magical realms, years where the darker creatures had gained strength. I had only been in the magical realms for a day, and already I had taken down seven wandering goblin packs, four rampaging trolls, a necromancer raising a skeletal army, and a three-headed fire drake that had been attacking a dwarven village.

In truth, none of this made any sense. For the most part the magical realms stayed separate. You won't find people from Wonderland wandering through Oz, and you won't see Thor relaxing in Shangri-La. It just doesn't happen. Yet here we were, goblins running around the peaceful homeland of the Halflings, trolls finding their way into the mystical Crystal Caves. It just didn't make sense. The realms were in complete chaos. I contemplated this as I sat in the branches of one of the golden trees in the Realm of Spring, overlooking a crystal-clear pond. I haven't owed any allegiance to the Court of Spring for a while now, but I had always been able to relax and think here in this forest. It was my sanctuary in the magical realms.

I heard a rustling in the brush below and I dropped of the tree to investigate it. I followed the rustling to a clearing in the forest, where the shadows suddenly lengthened and collected together, forming into the shape of a faceless creature in Victorian attire. I stared at the being in shock, remembering all the horrible things it had done.

"This seems familiar, doesn't it?" the creature mused, letting out a quiet hissing laugh, despite the absence of a mouth. "Reminds you of when we first met, doesn't it? We met in a forest not unlike this one. I thought of you as little more than my next meal back then. How times change."

"Shadow Trickster!" I exclaimed, hatred coloring my voice. "You can't be here!"

"Oh, but I can," the Trickster countered. "The rules have changed, Johnny Boy. This is a new world. Everything is changing."

"Not your chances of defeating me," I chuckled. "How many times have we done this dance now? You may have been able to find your way into the Realm of Spring, but that changes nothing. I've defeated you time and time again. You cannot defeat me, no matter what happens."

"That may be true," he admitted, "but I don't have to defeat you. You will defeat yourself."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Haven't you noticed?" he asked, emitting a chilling laugh. "You have been changing too, only you started long before everything else. When we first met you were a naïve child, fresh from the latest Faerie War. You had blocked off most of your memories of the war because they were too traumatic for your innocent mind to handle. You couldn't handle all of that death and torment, even though none of it was done to humans. Now look at you. You kill magical creatures left and right without batting an eyelash, and you've even resorted to killing **humans**, something the younger you would have never done. You even tortured a demon to find the location of the Brotherhood of the Void's secret base, and though I doubt you'd admit it even to yourself, I know you enjoyed it."

"I do not rejoice in suffering, no matter what sort creature is suffering," I replied. "I know how you work Trickster. You cannot help but lie. It is your nature, and you have no soul, no free will. You must follow your nature. It is how you work."

"My nature has changed," he countered. "You seem to have a unique effect on these realms, Johnny Boy, and thanks to my constant battles with you, I've changed. I understand and see things I never could have before. And you know, you are right. You would never rejoice in suffering. You would also never kill a human being, and yet you have done both of these things." He circled around me, his empty eye sockets seeming to stare into my soul.

"You know better than anyone that magic changes you," the Trickster informed me. "Mortals that spend too much time in the magical realms sometime become something other than human. Your friends in Wonderland are a perfect example of this. And yet, you seem to be relatively unaffected by all of your years in the magical realms. I've been thinking about this for quite some time now. You eliminated a very large amount of your life from your memory, burying it so deep you would never have to see it again. In that time you were at the center of hundreds of battles, witnessing millions of deaths and causing thousands of them yourself. That kind of violence changes you fragile humans, even without the aid of magic. You cannot simply forget all of that."

He laughed coldly. "It all makes sense, you see. You buried those memories, and with them their effect on your mind. Then you face off against monsters and armies, and you graduate from glorified magical tourist to one of the most feared beings in the realms. All this conflict slowly brought out that part of you that you tried to hide, influencing your decisions subtly, allowing you to get over your foolish sense of morality and do what needed to be done, even if that meant killing humans like yourself."

"What is the point of this?" I asked. "You are doing a lot of talking, which is usual for you, but you aren't eliciting any fear from me. Your words never frightened me."

"No they didn't," he agreed. "But this time that wasn't the point of my words. I'm not trying to scare you. I'm simply letting you know, in respect for our long rivalry."

"Know what?" I questioned.

"How you are finally going to lose this endless conflict," he answered. I suddenly found myself unable to move, tendrils of darkness restraining me. I blasted them away with a burst of light, but they returned faster than I could destroy them. "This won't hurt much," he told me. "I'm not going to kill you. But then again, knowing you as well as I do, when you realize what I've done, you'll wish I had." He then reached inside my chest, and I felt as if my very soul was being torn in two.

Author's Note: Only one question so far. I was asked why I put this is the Jelsa section if it is not a Jelsa story. First, I did not put it in the Jelsa section. There is no Jelsa section. I put it as a Frozen/Rise of the Guardians story with Elsa and Jack as central characters. Why? Because you've already seen Elsa, and Jack will appear later on. Also, I've never liked Jelsa. For me it's a bit creepy, because that is my wife and best man you are talking about. Anyways, any questions you have I will answer them (within reason).


	4. Chapter 3: Powerless

Adventures of John: Inner Demons

Chapter 3: Powerless

I woke up in my bed, my neck and back hurting from the uncomfortable position I had slept in. I jumped off the bed, slapping the off button on my alarm clock and cracking my neck forcefully. My bed was too small for me and I really needed to get a new bed, but I kept on forgetting to ask my dad to help me move my old bed out and bring in my older sister's old bed, which for some reason was much bigger than mine, and without me reminding him my dad kept on forgetting to do it. That day was the second-to-last day of school until spring break, and I was really looking forward to actually being able to get a full night's sleep.

Then I remembered what had just happened. Was it a dream? No, it couldn't have been a dream. I could always tell the difference between when I was dreaming and when I was traveling through the magical realms. But if that was true, then what was I doing waking up? What had the Trickster tried to do to me? I was still alive, which was always a good sign. Had he failed, or did he just do something with more subtle effects?

Unfortunately I didn't have the time to think about it, as I had woken up late and needed to be at school in less than ten minutes. I dressed in a rush and grabbed my backpack and car keys and hopped into my car. The rest of the day went by in a blur. I felt disconnected from reality, as if I had lost a part of myself. I went through my day, just trying to endure it long enough to make it home. When the day was finally over I got in my car and drove home, ready to investigate and determine exactly what it was the Trickster had done to me.

I settled down to send myself back into the magical realms, focusing my energies. I sat there for a full minute before I stopped, realizing something was horribly wrong. It usually took me only a few seconds to cross over, maybe thirty seconds if I was incredibly distracted. I should not have still been here on earth. I tried again, but with the same result. I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't travel to the magical realms. I tried to call out to Pixie, but I couldn't do that either. My magic was gone. I was powerless.

. . . . .

I spent the rest of the day working, trying to do everything I could to keep my mind off of my predicament. Luckily I had a lot of assignments I had to complete, and for a while I was able to distract myself. Despite all of my efforts however, the subject kept returning to me. I was powerless. I had stopped the destruction all of reality and saved countless lives, and now I was no one. Without my powers I was just another ordinary human being, living a boring ordinary life.

Then my thoughts went to Elsa. If I couldn't travel anymore, I wouldn't be able to return to Arendelle. Would I ever see her again? What about our child? Would I never get the chance to see them grow up? Would I never even see their face? What was I without my magic, without my new home?

Suddenly there was a sound of fluttering wings by my ear, and I turned to see Pixie hovering behind me worryingly. "I can still see you!" I exclaimed with joy. "Pixie, something is horribly wrong. My powers are gone, I can't travel to the magical realms, and I couldn't even call you. Wait, how did you know to come here?"

"I sensed something wrong with you," she answered. "Are you okay? You don't feel entirely whole."

"The Trickster did something to me," I told her. "I don't know what he did, but whatever it was took away my powers. We need to find a way to get them back, but to do that we are going to need help." I paced around the room, thinking over my various allies.

"I'm the only one who can travel to Arendelle, so we aren't going to get any help from there. Elphaba was barely willing to help when the entire multiverse almost ended, so I doubt she'd help with my personal problems. You can't travel into the Void, so we have no way of contacting the crew of my ship or our friends in other universes. I like Hermes as a person, but that doesn't mean I want to be in his debt anytime soon and goodness knows where the Hatter has gotten to." Then I came to the inevitable conclusion. "It looks like only one of my allies is available, my old friend Jack Frost. Pixie, I need you to find him as quickly as possible. We are going to need all the help we can get if we are going to fix this."

She saluted cheerfully and zipped off to find him. It was depressing to realize that without my powers I didn't even have a way to send a distress call to a large number of my friends and allies. I needed Pixie's help just to contact the ones in my own reality. If she hadn't shown up when she did… but I didn't want to think about that. I sat down and waited, as there was nothing else I could do.

. . . . .

It was nearly midnight when I felt a blast of frosty air and suddenly found myself on the ground, Jack's bare feet on my chest, crooked staff pointed at my face. "Who are you?!" he shouted, shoving the staff closer. "Answer me!"

"What's going on Jack?" I asked, thoroughly shocked. "It's me, John. You nearly got me killed when I was a kid, then you helped me get Elsa back, and then you nearly caused the end of the world. Who else knows all that?"

"You could be reading my mind," he answered. "Because I know you can't really be John, even if you were able to trick little Pixie here." He stepped off my chest and laughed, keeping the staff pointed in my direction. "Imagine my surprise to have the little girl flutter up to me and tell me that John had lost all his powers, when at the time I was standing right next to him, and he was completely fine."

"What?"

"You heard me," he responded. "I know that you are not John because I was with him five minutes ago all the way at the Pole."


	5. Chapter 4: Replaced

Adventures of John: Inner Demons

Chapter 4: Replaced

"What?" I asked, unable to comprehend what I had just heard. There was another me? And he has my powers?

"You heard me," he replied.

"Jack," I said, holding my hands up in surrender. "It's me. I'm me! Whoever it is that is at the Pole, that is not me. The Shadow Trickster did something to me, took away my powers. The person at the Pole, that must be him!"

"Why should I believe you?" he inquired skeptically.

"Which makes more sense?" I asked him. "Someone stealing my powers and impersonating the incredibly powerful, respected, and feared version of me, or someone trying to impersonate the scrawny teenage version of me? The first option could be used for **so** many different devious things. What could anyone do with the second option?"  
"That makes sense," he admitted. "And it would be difficult to trick Pixie, as she's known you longer than anyone else in the magical realms." He mused over that for a bit. "Okay then, tell me something only the real John would know."

"Really?" I chuckled. "Cliché much?" He gave me a dangerous look. "Alright, alright. What's something only the real me would know? You make a horrible best man. At the wedding you stumbled over your entire speech, and you wouldn't stop telling everyone all the embarrassing parts of the ice troll incident. Plus you ate nearly all of the chocolate, which was supposed to be for Elsa by the way."

"Alright, I guess you are the real John," he laughed. "But you've got to admit that bit with the really fat troll was hilarious."

"You nearly got me killed!" I protested.

"Lighten up!" he countered. "But don't get too light. We've got an imposter up at the Pole to deal with."

"I don't know if you've been paying attention," I began, "but I don't have any of my magic. I can't travel to any of the magical realms, the Pole included."

He smiled ruefully. "But I can. Hang on." With that he grabbed me and flew off, me clinging on for dear life to his legs as we flew off to the North Pole.

. . . . .

"We can't just attack him head-on!" I yelled over the wind to Jack as we flew. Or, more accurately, as Jack flew and I clung on to his legs for dear life. "If he really has all of my powers then he will be too powerful to take on directly."

"I'm not half bad at fighting myself," he replied, spinning in the air and nearly making me lose my grip. As it was, I was fairly certain I was going to throw up all over myself.

"You're not half bad," I agreed, "but I'm in another class altogether. This guy has **all** of my powers, including my powers of creation. Trust me, especially seeing as he is unlikely to be holding back, you don't stand a chance. And seeing as he has **my** powers, I'm not going to be much help either."

"So what are we going to do then?" he inquired.

"I've got a plan," I answered. Or at least I would probably have one by the time we reached the Pole.

. . . . .

Jack and I snuck into the workshop, keeping out of the sight of the Yetis. We had no way of knowing whether or not this imposter had taken control of them or not.

"Ha!" we heard North exclaim from the floor above us. "That is very funny. Another cookie?"

"No thank you," replied my voice, or the voice of my magical self at least. "Unfortunately, I'm not just here for small talk and sweets."

"I guessed as much," North responded, becoming serious. "You wouldn't leave your wife's side if it were not urgent, dah?"

"Things are getting bad throughout the realms," the imposter explained. "The Trickster tried to end me yesterday. Chaos is spreading, and I don't think even I can deal with it on my own. I'm going to need as many allies as possible to return order. Speaking of which, where did Frost run off to?" Hearing him pretending to be me, and doing it convincingly, I knew I should have been angry. I should have been furious. But instead there was no anger. I was simply scared that we wouldn't be able defeat someone that powerful.

"Something some faerie said upset him," North answered. "He flew off after it."

"What kind of faerie?" the imposter inquired, suddenly curious. I silently urged Jack to move faster, realizing that we didn't have much more time.

"Not one of Tooth's," North told him. "More human-looking. It had butterfly wings and glowed like a thousand rainbows."

"Pixie," I could hear the smile in his voice. "Of course." I suddenly found myself getting ripped off my feet, tumbling helplessly through the air, gravity failing to aid me. Looking to my right, I saw that Jack was in the same predicament. "Well well well," my duplicate chuckled, crimson cloak swirling around his(my) golden armor. "Jack, I thought you of all people would be able to discern between a doppelganger and the real thing."

"Look who's talking, copycat," I jeered childishly.

"Enough!" he shouted, clenching his fist. I suddenly felt my air cut off as a crushing force began to collapse my windpipe. I was scared that he was going to kill me, of course, but being force choked by myself was so shocking that it distracted me from my predicament for a moment. "I will have none of your lies!" he exclaimed, crushing tighter.

"Whoa there!" North exclaimed. "This is not like you, John! Calm down and we can talk about this, yes?"

"This must be some trick of the Trickster's," the other me insisted. "Do you really want to let him win?"

"That is a human boy!" North exclaimed. "I can tell the difference between a human child and a magical being, and while he is a bit old for a child, he is in fact a human boy, soul and all."

"Then he is a pawn of the Trickster's," the doppelganger countered. "Enchanted to look and sound like my lesser self. And if he is working for the Trickster, than he cannot be allowed to live."

"No!" Jack shouted, blasting him away with a surge of frosty energy. "I know John, and he would never kill a human so lightly, much less a teenager, even if they were working with the enemy."

The other me picked himself up, rage filling his golden eyes. "I've learned the error of my ways," he spat. "If you let them live they will only come back to get revenge. The only way to ensure the innocent remain safe is that the guilty are removed. Human or not, those I protect always come before those that are a potential danger to them." He turned to Jack. "And now you have put yourself in the second category." Golden energy swirled around Jack, and he began to look transparent, as if he was fading. "As an immortal you can't be killed," the imposter stated. "But that doesn't mean you can't be erased from existence."

Not knowing what else to do I tackled him. As soon as we touched, I felt a jolt of power and a tidal wave of emotions. He jerked back, the magic encircling Jack vanishing. "I understand now," he murmured, staring at me. "Goodbye John. Do not come after me again." With that he vanished, leaving the three of us standing there in confusion.

"What just happened?" North asked. Jack shook his head and looked to me. Like my duplicate, I too now understood what was going on. The whole day I had felt incomplete, like a piece of myself was missing. When I saw the other me I knew I should have been angry, but I wasn't. And then when I touched him, I felt, if only for an instant, my power return, as well as all the emotions I had been unable to feel. The hate, the anger, the rage, it was all there. The Trickster hadn't just taken my powers. He had ripped my soul in two, leaving one version of me powerless and unable to feel anger or rage, and another version of me with all of my powers and without a conscious to temper all of that hate. I had been split into two different people, and if the two halves were not put back together soon, the other me was going to hurt a lot of people.


	6. Chapter 5: Rash Decisions

Adventures of John: Inner Demons

Chapter 5: Rash Decisions

"What is going on?!" North asked in exasperation. "Are you John, or is he John? And what was with all of the craziness and things?"

"We are both John the Adventurer," I answered. "Or more accurately, we are both pieces of him. He has all the power and the rage, while I have all the humanity and morals. In essence, I am John, while he is the Adventurer."

"But what does that mean?" Jack asked. "How is that even possible?"

"Magic changes you," I explained. "You guys should know this, you both used to be human. If a regular person spends too much time around magic they become someone else. Before I became John the Adventurer I was the Champion of Spring. I fought in a bloody and devastating war for years. I honestly don't know exactly how long I was in that war. I was just a kid, and so as Jack learned when we traveled to the Darkened Lands, I locked it away. Every time I returned to the ordinary world all of the really bad stuff had been buried in the depths of my mind. When I did that, I also buried the effects that magic had on me, temporarily keeping me just me."

I sighed deeply, thinking back to those earlier days. "After that my visits were more sporadic. I would go on a grand, several year-long adventure and then spend a year cooling off. I would go on a weekend trip to the Faerie Forest and a few days later spend an afternoon debating with a Loremaster. It wasn't until my first trip to Arendelle that things started going crazy. I was in the magical realms every day searching for a way back, and when I finally found a way back and everything calmed down, I could hardly go a week or two without getting tossed through a rift in the multiverse. I've been spending way too much time around magic. All that darkness that I had buried began to drag its way back out. When Arendelle was being invaded, I destroyed an entire ship full of human beings in a fit of rage. That's not me. Loki pointed it out when I was in the DC universe, but I didn't see the connection. Now the Trickster somehow found a way to split the darker me from the human me, and now the other me is going on a rampage."

"I think there were a few too many 'me's' in that sentence," Jack told me. "So were did he go then?"

"Knowing myself, if I was to suddenly find myself without a conscience holding me back, I would go after the worst people I knew of and take them out."

"So he's going after the Trickster?" Jack asked.

"No," I answered. "The Trickster is not easy to find if he doesn't want to be found. He will go after him, but he won't be the first victim. Besides, I have no qualms about killing the Trickster. He doesn't have a soul. The problem is that killing someone like him is nearly impossible. No, he's going after someone human."

"Who then?"

"My first guess would be Obama," Jack laughed at that, "but even if he has all of my powers, he still can't use them in the ordinary world. No, he's going to go after someone that he knows exactly where they are, and has a burning hatred for them…" Then it hit me. "Of course!"

"What is it?" North inquired. "Do you know who it is?"

"Hans," I answered. "I've hated him ever since I watched the movie, but I found that I hated him infinitely more once I actually had the displeasure of meeting him. When he was thrown in his cell, there was a little voice in my head that told me to kill him then, so that he could never threaten Elsa or her family ever again. I almost wanted to listen to that voice, but I didn't. I chose the high road and left him in his cell. Now it looks like that little voice is going to act all on its own."

"Are you sure we should stop him?" Jack asked. "I know he's human, but from what you've told me about him, the world might be a better place with Hans out of it."

"We can't afford to think like that," I responded. "Besides, killing Hans won't be the only thing he might do. He's unstable. He has no conscience whatsoever to keep him in control. There is no telling what he might do."

"We've still got small problem," North pointed out. "Arendelle is other universe. With your power gone, how do we get there?"

"What about that jade thing you always wear around your neck?" Jack asked. "You told me once that it had something to do with you being able to travel to Arendelle. Could I just put it on and fly you there?"

I chuckled. "It doesn't work quite like that. My way of traveling is closer in nature to astral projection than whatever it is you do. It's not exactly astral projection, but it's similar. No, it wouldn't work for you, but if I tinkered with it a bit, I might be able to use what little magic I was able to grab from my double to enchant something else with it."

"What would that be?" North asked.

"One of your snow globes," I answered.

. . . . .

"Are you sure this will work?" Jack asked as we climbed into the sleigh. "I love the sleigh, but I don't want to end up trapped in the Void. It was bad enough going to that place the first time around."

"Of course I'm not," I answered. "You can never know until it's been tested. Unfortunately we don't have the time for a test run, and I don't have the magic to enchant a second globe."

"What are we waiting for then?!" North questioned. "Hya!" He snapped the reigns and the reindeer ran off, through the Pole's icy caverns and up into the cold northern air. North grabbed the snow globe, put it to his lips, and whispered, "Arendelle." He threw it into the air and a swirling portal opened. We dove into it, and for a second I felt as if I was being compressed to the size of an atom, and then we were out.

. . . . .

Hans, the former king of the Southern Isles, languished in his cell. He had long ago lost track of the days, what with there being not even a glimmer of sunlight down in this rat-hole they called a dungeon. Judging from the beard he was growing though, it had been quite a while. A few years at least. What had he done to deserve this? He was a king, the rightful ruler of the Southern Isles! Betrayed by his own brother. He knew that he shouldn't have let that snake live. No matter how close they had been as children, Samuel was just like all the others.

Just then he heard the sound metal boots clanging on the stone cobbles. At first he thought it must be time for his mockery of a dinner, but then he realized breakfast had been only about an hour before. Hadn't it? Was he going mad already, losing his concept of time altogether? Looking up he saw that it was not his guard, but an ominously familiar figure, shrouded by a crimson cloak, the glint of golden armor visible beneath.

"You," Hans muttered. "What is it now, 'Adventurer'? Come to mock me in my prison? It took you long enough. How many years has it been now?"

"Too many," the Adventurer answered darkly. "You cannot be allowed to hurt anyone else."

"It's not like I can do anything in this state," Hans chuckled darkly, moving the chains on his wrists weakly. "I'm not exactly going anywhere."

"I won't let your lies poison anyone else," the Adventurer stated. He gestured and the bars disintegrated. He moved forward purposefully, a flaming sword appearing in his hands.

"Stop!" a teenage voice exclaimed. Glancing past the imposing figure, Hans saw two teenagers, one of them a white-haired boy in strange frosted blue clothes, the other a much taller boy with sandy hair and equally strange clothes. Behind them was a massive man with a large white beard and a pair of scimitars. "You can't do this!" the sandy-haired boy exclaimed. "This isn't what a hero would do!"

"A hero does whatever is necessary," the Adventurer countered. "He has to die for Arendelle to remain safe."

"What is going on here?" came a beautiful feminine voice. Everyone turned to see Queen Elsa, her gaze switching between the sandy-haired boy and the Adventurer.

. . . . .

"Elsa!" I exclaimed. "Get out of here!"

"What is this?" she asked, glancing back and forth between me and my double. "How is there two of you? And why are you like that?"

"Elsa," the other me said, turning around. "It's so good to see you."

"Elsa, please get away from him," I urged her. "He's dangerous and unstable. There is no telling what he might do."

"You will not keep me from my wife!" the other me exclaimed, lifting me in the air with another force choke. "Am I usually like this?" I gasped.

"You're usually in better control of yourself," Jack answered calmly. "Probably something to do with the fact that you usually have a conscience. You need any help with that?"

"No," I gasped. "Perfectly fine. No problem at all."

"Alright," he answered. "Just tell me when you decide you want help."

"I was joking!" I rasped. "I need help! Kick this guy's butt!"

"Glad you say so!" North exclaimed, brandishing his swords. "Let us fight!" He leaped at the other me, knocking him to the side. I crawled away, clutching my throat.

"What is happening?" Elsa asked, pulling me away.

"The Trickster split me in two," I answered. "I have all of the morals and humanity, while he has all of the power and rage."

"How do we fix this?" she asked.

"I don't know!" I exclaimed. I put my fingers to my head, trying to organize my thoughts. How could we fix this? Then I realized. "Oh, it's so simple!" I exclaimed. "Why didn't I realize this before?!"

"What is it?" Elsa inquired.

"When he and I touched, I felt a surge of his emotions and my power. From the look in his eyes, he felt it too. I just need to do it again, except more. We need to put the two halves back together."

"How do we do that?"

I chuckled. "You are going to have to hold him down long enough for me to merge with myself. That sounded really strange. Anyways, in essence, you are going to have to defeat me. But you can't do this. The baby-"

"Don't worry," she interjected with a sly smile. "Besides, I've been looking for a rematch."

"Be careful," I told her. "He won't be holding back."

She smiled as icy energy swirled around her. "Neither will I." She leapt into the fray, shooting a dozen spikes of ice. You'd think a pregnant woman wouldn't be able to fight, but she actually did an amazing job. The Adventurer conjured up a wall of flame, which Jack frosted down. North came at him from behind, only to find a pair of blades hovering in the air. He dueled with the phantom blades while Elsa and Jack countered his attacks and sent more of their own. Fire and ice sprayed across the dungeon, leaving scorch marks and frozen patches. The Adventurer conjured a flaming sword and swung it at Jack, only for Elsa to parry it with a blade of ice, which was somehow able to hold against the flame without melting. North dispatched the phantasmal blades and joined in, only for a blast of force to send him tumbling into Jack.

"Why are you doing this?" Elsa asked as they dueled. "You aren't yourself! Just let John back in!"

"Why would I do that?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused. "He is my weakness! With him gone I can finally make the tough choices necessary to make the world a safe place for our children!"

"The John I fell in love with would never kill so thoughtlessly," she countered. "Back in the Siege of Arendelle, that was war. But this? This is murder. The man I fell in love with, the man I married, would never do this."

"And neither would the kid I taught to snowboard and fought ice trolls with," Jack added, blasting the Adventurer into the wall.

"Or the child that always asked for Lego for Christmas," North agreed, throwing his swords, pinning the Adventurer's arms to the wall. "That was a child that loved to build, not destroy. He would never do this thing."

Elsa shot a blast of frigid energy, freezing the Adventurer's body from the neck down. "How is that?" she asked.

"Perfect," I answered, limping over to them. "Now I just have to become whole before crazy me gets free."

"Don't do this!" my duplicate exclaimed, heating up to melt the ice. Jack and Elsa quickly took care of that. "I just want to restore order!"

"I know," I told him. "But you cannot bring order to the world, when you do not have order within yourself." I touched his chest with my palm and felt a surge of power, along with a torrent of rage and anger. Instead of fighting it, I accepted it. It was a part of me, and I couldn't change that. But I could control it. That is the whole point of having a soul. It grants you free will. And that was what I was. His soul. I continued forward, melting into myself until there was only one of me.


	7. Epilogue

Adventures of John: Inner Demons

Epilogue

I woke up slowly, testing my extremities to make sure they all still worked. Legs, check. Toes, check. Fingers… As I wiggled my fingers I heard the creek of metal. I opened my eyes to see I was wearing my golden gantlets. That meant…

"It worked!" Jack exclaimed, punching the air.

"Are you okay?" Elsa asked. "Are you, you?"

"I'm good," I answered. "Soul, conscience, and all. What about you? Is the baby?"

"The baby is fine," she laughed. "I'm just glad you are back to yourself. Though you are going to have to explain to me exactly how this happened."

"I would love to do that," I chuckled weakly. Then I realized something. "Wait, where is Hans?" Everyone turned around, but his cell was empty. My double had disintegrated the bars, so all he had to do was walk out.

"He must have escaped during the battle," Elsa muttered. "But we can worry about him later. Right now you have some explaining to do."

"I would love to, but I actually need to get back to earth right now," I told her. "I'm fairly certain that it's almost time for me to get ready for school, and I didn't get any sleep. I spent the whole night chasing down my darker half. North, could you help me get back?"

"But of course!" he answered. "I am glad to help. But you are going to have to enchant another one of my snow globes."

"No problem," I told him. "Now that I've got my mojo back, things should be a lot easier. In the places with magic, at least." I turned to Elsa. "I'll come back as soon as I can. See you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," she agreed. "Don't be late."

"I wouldn't think of it."

. . . . .

"North?" I asked as we climbed into the sleigh.

"Da?"

"You mentioned the Lego I used to ask for every Christmas. You really remembered that?"

"Of course I did," North laughed. "I remember every present. Especially the ones for a child like you. I knew you were special long before you did."

"Wait," I interjected, "I thought my parents got me all my 'Santa' presents."

"Ha!" he laughed. "So do they!" With that he cracked the reigns and we were off.

. . . . .

So, everything was solved. Almost everything, anyway. We started a manhunt for Hans, but I don't think we are going to find him unless he wants to be found. He's sly. We're probably going to have to deal with him later, but until then everything is great over here. While that one school day without sleep was painful, it's Spring Break now, so I've been able to relax and enjoy time with my wife and unborn kid. What do you think it will be? Elsa thinks it will be a girl, but I'm fairly certain it will be a boy. We still can't decide on a name, but we've still got plenty of time for that. Hopefully nothing else crazy happens, but I doubt we will be that lucky.

This didn't feel like the end of something. It felt like the beginning. But what new threat could we be facing? I've already stopped the Void from consuming the entire multiverse. Nothing could be worse than that. Right? Well, whatever it is, we'll be ready. And you will be reading all about it. It's kind of unfortunate that you guys can't experience any of this for yourselves. Well, actually you kind of did once, when magic was temporary brought back to the world, but none of you can remember that. I suppose it's for the best. The kind of things I face would not be something you'd want to find in your backyard or at your school. Well, until next time, goodbye, and stay safe!


	8. The Story is Not Over

The Story is Not Over…

…Not even close. If you enjoyed this story, why stop now? This is only one story in the _John the Adventurer_ series. Read all about my other adventures! Here are all of the stories in chronological order with the link to each of them. Enjoy!

**PART 1**

The Early Adventures

1. Journey to Neverland

s/9988513/1/Adventures-of-John-Journey-to-Neverland

2. Welcome to Wonderland

s/9992207/1/Adventures-of-John-Welcome-to-Wonderland

3. The Wonderful Conspiracy of Oz

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4. The Day I Met the Doctor

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The Frozen Trilogy

5. The Adventurer and the Snow Queen

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6. The Search for Arendelle

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7. The Return to Arendelle

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Conclusion

8. World War Magic

s/10051986/1/Adventures-of-John-World-War-Magic

**PART 2**

Valentines Day

9. My Frozen Valentine

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Danger of the Rifts

10. Parallels

s/10121264/1/Adventures-of-John-Parallels

11. The Doctor, the Daleks, and the Dragon

s/10126576/1/Adventures-of-John-The-Doctor-the-Daleks-and-the-Dragon

12. Winchesters

s/10140894/1/Adventures-of-John-Winchesters

13. Heroes

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The Void Trilogy

14. The Society

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15. Into the Void

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16. Heart of the Void

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Aftermath

17. A Frozen Child One Shot

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**PART 3**

A New Threat

18. Inner Demons

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19. The Masters of Chaos One Shot

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20. New World Order

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21. The Stolen Queen

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22. Twist in Time

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The War

23. And So Begins the War

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24. Gods of War

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